Reliability & cost of ownership
Bmw 5 Series Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Bmw 5 Series? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Bmw 5 Series problems by model year
46 recall entries and 425 owner complaints on file across 17 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 5 Series | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2012 5 Series | 0 | 10 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2011 5 Series | 0 | 81 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2010 5 Series | 2 | 6 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2009 5 Series | 4 | 8 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2008 5 Series | 4 | 105 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2007 5 Series | 4 | 13 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2006 5 Series | 8 | 85 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2005 5 Series | 5 | 21 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2004 5 Series | 8 | 63 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 5 Series | 0 | 15 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 5 Series | 0 | 7 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 5 Series | 2 | 3 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 5 Series | 2 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1999 5 Series | 1 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1997 5 Series | 3 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1995 5 Series | 3 | 3 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Bmw 5 Series, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- air bags94 complaints
- electrical system67 complaints
- fuel system53 complaints
- engine and engine cooling47 complaints
- gasoline45 complaints
- tires44 complaints
- power train41 complaints
- steering33 complaints